Unapproved construction blamed for deadly Doornkop building collapse

The Johannesburg MMC for Public Safety, Mgcini Tshwaku, said the building that collapsed and killed three people in Doornkop had no approved building plans with the city.

He said the second floor was under construction when it collapsed on top of six people on Sunday morning, leaving three others injured.

Tshwaku said investigations revealed that the concrete slab had no approved drawings and was not overseen by a structural engineer, as required by building regulations.

This means the building will now be demolished.

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The family will be provided with temporary housing by the Collen Mashawana Foundation, while the Department of Human Settlements will, in due course, relocate all qualifying residents to another area.

“The slab that was built was not constructed according to the required standards, which led to its collapse. It appears the building was owned by someone else, while the occupants were tenants. This area is a dolomitic area,” Tshwaku said.